The first Emirates Electric Vehicle Road Trip (EEVRT) concluded at The Sustainable City in Dubai last week, successfully opening nine new charging stations in the UAE and further driving electric vehicle adoption in the country.

The new, free-to-use electric vehicle charging stations, supplied by ENGIE, were opened at three AccorHotels, including Marjan Island Resort & Spa in Ras Al Khaimah (three), the Novotel Fujairah (four), and at the Sofitel Corniche in Abu Dhabi (two).

Accelerating the transition towards a sustainable low-carbon future, the four-day event took place from 29th January to 1st February 2017 when 11 electric vehicles left Dubai and traversed more than 700km across the UAE. The charging stations installed have opened up a whole new stretch of electric vehicle driving for the UAE.

“The UAE has already come a long way in moving towards taking a more environmentally friendly stance when it comes to vehicles, and we hope that this event showed people how much of a difference it can make.

Thank you to everyone who made the Emirates EVRT possible. It was a truly momentous event for the region and one we are extremely proud of,” says Ben Pullen, Founder and Managing Director of Global Electric Vehicle Road Trip who brought the event to the UAE.

Along the way, 40 participants and 150 total guests enjoyed a stop at Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest point, site visits as well as various gala dinner events, electric vehicle experiences and activities, and stayovers in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi.

The road trip concluded with an electric vehicle conference at The Sustainable City on 1st February, including live panel debates, talks from electric vehicle and energy experts, and a final UAE electric vehicle parade, which also included electric bikes.

During the road trip Emirates National Bank of Dubai, The Sustainable City and AXA Insurance made announcements on their commitment to support the evolution of the electric vehicle industry in the UAE.

Emirates NBD has launched their green auto loan with preferential pricing, The Sustainable City provides an Dh40,000 grant for residents wishing to purchase an electric car, and AXA Insurance Gulf has launched a first-of-its-kind insurance solution for electric vehicles in the GCC region under its Tesla Club Scheme.

The response from participants and event partners who experienced the event for the first time was overwhelmingly positive. Intrigued by how the electric cars would perform during the longer drives to Jebel Jais and Fujairah, the participants were pleasantly surprised by the acceleration and range of the new Renault Zoe and Tesla vehicles.

One of the most interesting experiences was to witness the regenerative braking which is a technology that allows the batteries to re-charge when driving down hills.

Through driving down Jebel Jais the Renault Zoe Log Range model was able to achieve around 50km of extra range.

“As pioneer and leader of 100% electric vehicles in Europe, Renault was glad to support the Emirates EVRT initiative that is developing the awareness of pure sustainable mobility in the UAE. We have shown through the use of the new Renault ZOE with 400km autonomy that autonomy was no longer an issue to move freely in the seven Emirates,” says Emmanuel Guiffault, Marketing Director of Renault Middle East.

Dominique Westbrook, Managing Director for Tetrad Discovery adds, “It was great to meet like-minded people who truly have the passion for green transport in the UAE, and to be part of that movement was very fulfilling.”

The Global EVRT makes its way to Europe in April this year for the two-week long ESCP Europe EVRT and will be back in the Middle East in 2018 to travel across the GCC. For more information, visit http://europeevrt.com

For more information about the Global EVRT or upcoming road trips across the globe, visit www.emiratesevrt.com.